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PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES
MATERNAL AND CHILD-CARE
General
Screening for phenylketonuria by the Guthrie Blood Test method
is carried out by our domiciliary midwives on all babies delivered at
home, or discharged from hospital before the sixth day. The laboratory
work is carried out by the Group Laboratories at Queen Mary's
Hospital for Children, Carshalton.
The two maternity units in the Borough take blood specimens
from all babies present in the unit on the sixth day.
Our domiciliary midwives took 692 specimens during the year,
33 of which were repeat samples where the first reading showed a
slightly raised phenylalanine level. One case proved to be positive
and the health visitor concerned takes a weekly Guthrie test to check
the phenylalanine level.
Observation and Handicap Register
The work, begun at the the end of 1970, on a revision of the
Observation and Handicap Register has continued during the year.
Child Health Centres
In September, 1971, two of the busiest Child Health Centres
started to hold one session a month of Special Developmental examinations
of babies at about 7 to 8 months old. These are done by
Departmental Medical Officers with the assistance of health visitors
for some of the screening procedures. This has helped both to provide
a more thorough examination for this age group and also to relieve
the pressure of work on the medical officers at their normal clinic
sessions. It is hoped that it may be possible to increase the number of
special sessions in the future.
Ante-Natal and Post-Natal Services
Six ante-natal sessions are held each week at Clinics in the area,
at which a Departmental medical officer and a health visitor are in
attendance. At these ante-natal Clinics cases are booked for subsequent
hospital confinement. Post-natal examinations are also carried
out at these sessions.
In addition five ante-natal sessions are held by midwives for
patients booked for domiciliary confinement.
In view of a decline in the numbers attending ante-natal clinics
the sessions held are now for ante-natal and cytology.
Relaxation and mothercraft classes are held throughout the
Borough at which health education on a personal basis is carried out
by health visitors and midwives.
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